Oklahoma’s legislative session began today, and Governor Kevin Stitt kicked it off by laying out his top priorities during his 7th State of the State address. He outlined four key principles:
- Protect Oklahoma taxpayers.
- Be the best state for business.
- Safeguard the state’s savings.
- Protect the Oklahoma way of life.
During the address, he also announced the issuance of Executive Order 2025-04, creating the Division of Government Efficiency (DOGE-OK) within the Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES). The new division will focus on eliminating wasteful government spending, improving efficiency, and ensuring taxpayer dollars are being used effectively across state government.
DOGE-OK is authorized to identify and eliminate waste. The executive order creates the unpaid position of Chief DOGE Advisor, who will report directly to Governor Stitt, lead the division independently, and receive broad authority to review agency records, data, software systems, and I.T. systems.
By March 31, 2025, DOGE-OK will submit a report outlining strategies for efficiency, recommendations for fiscal reforms, and specific agency budget findings.
The founding of the Division of Government Efficiency builds upon Governor Stitt’s existing government efficiency initiatives, such as the Break the Tape Initiative, the State Fleet Reduction Initiative, and ending work from home policies. In his State of the State address, Governor Stitt also pledged to have fewer state employees at the end of his term than when he took office in 2019.
Oklahomans can follow DOGE-OK on X for updates.
Read the executive order in full here.
Stitt also encouraged his initiative to remove the state income tax. He pointed out the growing number of states that are cutting state income taxes and said, “If we don’t act quickly, we are going to be left behind and we are going to be considered a high-tax state.”
He called for what he calls a “Half and a Path”, which he explained as “A half-a-point cut to the individual and business income taxes, and a path to zero income tax.”
He reminded naysayers that the money doesn’t disappear when taxes are cut but rather gets reinvested into the economy through residents’ spending.
Click the listen bar at the top of the page to hear Governor Stitt’s entire State of the State address.
